Here’s an unusual exerpt from a story I heard. I hope you will find it as inspiring as I did. But even more than that, I hope it will both motivate you, and help you look at some things in your life differently.
In February 2013, Faujah Sing became the oldest person to run a marathon. At age 101, he completed a 6.25 kilometer race in Hong Kong in 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 28 seconds. Astonishingly, Sing only got into racing at age 89 after losing his wife and son, but he has since finished 8 competitive races.
Most people think of age only in terms of numbers, but that isn’t entirely true. In the Bible, Caleb shows all of us, that it is more a matter of attitude than anything else.
In order to see what I mean, please compare the tale on our opening paragraphs with the story of Joshua and Caleb. It is written in two parts, and for our purposes, we will spend most of our time on the second one. But please bear with me as I summarize the initial vignette, before we look at its ending. (In case you want to read along, the first part can be found in chapter 13 of the book of Numbers.)
Twelve spies were sent out to view the promised land, which God had given to the children of Israel to inhabbit. But in order to do this, they had to drive out their enemies, so Moses sent out a man from each tribe.
Among these were Joshua and Caleb, who returned with good news. They were the only two who did, however, as the others brought tidings of defeat and discouragement.
We have talked about older people in both of these stories, but as I eluded to before, the truth is that you can be old at any age. The characteristics of youth are found more in your posture when facing life’s battles, than in the number of years a person has been alive. Therefore, I invite you to take the following test, in order to determine whether you are really old or not.
First, ask yourself whether your challenges cripple you, or compell you to go to new heights. Secondly, do you feel a need to always be in control of your situation?
While all of us feel overwhelmed by life at times, I have found that facing the right way makes all the difference in the world. In other words, we need to look up to the God who can help us surmount life’s obstacles, instead of looking down at our problems.
Joshua and Caleb both provide excellent examples of character qualities that we can all emulate, which will help us see our problems more clearly from God’s perspective. Since life is always throwing us curve balls, though, let’s go over their story with a fine-toothed comb together. Instead of closing the book when the story is finished, however, I encourage you to read it over and over. Then, pray about the points which I may have missed, which are jermaine to your unique situation. The Bible says that we are more than conquerors in Christ, so to make this a part of your battle plan, here are a few thoughts that I found.
First of all, since Caleb and his friend initially braved the land which God had promised to the children of Israel and brought back the only good report, two things stand out to me. Joshua and Caleb were faithful in a scenario that could have been a disaster. Secondly, they fearlessly spoke up with a minority opinion, bringing good news into a seemingly hopeless situation.
Now let’s turn to the book of Judges, chapter 14, and fasten your seatbelts for the sequel to Joshua and Caleb’s shining moment.
About 45 years have passed, and we we now sit in on a conversation between Caleb and Joshua.

“Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’
““Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites (giants) were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”
Here are three takeaways from today’s scripture, which are all interrelated:
First, Caleb is still just as exuberant about what God is doing at age 85, and that really speaks to my heart. Instead of existing on memory lane and living in the past, or moving into some RV park and resting on his laurels, Caleb looked to God for his strength.
Second, while most of us tend to shrink from our problems, Caleb was always looking for a new challenge. He could have just sat in a McDonald’s sipping coffee, instead of taking on giants in the hill country–no easy task at any age.
Thirdly, we are told twice about how Caleb followed God with his whole heart, rather than following Him from afar.
Now let’s begin looking at all of these takeaways together, and see how they fit into our lives. Many people view their problems as though they were coming to the end of a dead-end street, rather than letting God help them rise above what they face. Their lives are lacking real joy, and in some cases they find it hard to crawl out of bed each day. They make any excuse to live like this, but before you can actually confront a challenge successfully, you need to hear from God. Caleb did this, and we see that he appears to be as lively as ever.
So if you want that vivacious outlook in your life, my friend, here is a real secret. Before doing anything else, follow Caleb’s example, and look to God for your first instruction.
While this is a basic truth, I am not proud to say that I’ve often overlooked it and gone my own way. But then I began to really think about the words of Jesus: “he who has ears, let him hear.” I began to see truth in a new way, and I saw that God wanted to help me overcome the obstacles that had bogged me down in the past. So instead of a pity party, I have tried to develop a pattern of praise.
Secondly, Caleb had a servant’s heart, which prepared him to confront new challenges in his life. In other words, instead of being self-absorbed, his mind was focused on the God of the impossible, and that translated into his being a man of action.
So, putting these two items together, ask God to open your ears to new opportunities when things don’t seem to be going your way. Then, do what He has placed in your path.
Like a man dying of thirst, Caleb clung to God tenaciously as his source of strength and life. Since all of us tend to be halfhearted, though, we need to ask God to search our hearts, while striving for wholehearted devotion. So no matter what you are facing, allow God to give you a new start with a new heart, and move forward in life.
Thank you for reading this, and may the Lord give you a wonderful week! We are trying to reach people who are hurting, so if God lays it on your heart, please consider becoming a partner with us. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.hcmachaplains.org and click on the Donate Now link. You can also send donations by mail to HCMA (Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association). Our ID number is 560. The address is 101 S Kraemer BLVD, Suite 123A, Placentia, CA 92870.
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